And he took me away
by LadyAkii
Summary: Post-trespasser. Following the discovery of Solas' true identity, the inquisitor Lavellan is in torment. The memory of their love and the perpetual presence of the Dread Wolf in her dreams haunt her. During yet another nightmare night, she decides to take refuge in her unique haven of peace: her memories.


**And he took me away**

Again, it was one of those nights. A night of torment where sleep struggled to show itself. As soon as she closed her eyes, she felt as if someone was watching her. Every corner of her mind, her body, her being seemed to be at the mercy of the one whose disappearance she mourned. She did not know if this sensation came from her imagination or if her lover was indeed standing by her side. After all, perhaps it was the fruit of her tortured mind. That's what the inquisitor wanted to believe. During these nights she was only a shadow of herself. In vain, she kept rehashing her memories in search of a moment of peace and happiness, a moment that would bring her what she needed most in those moments of bewilderment. Hope.  
However, this hope, misused, was both a cure and a poison. It soothed her tormented conscience for a few moments but, like a parasite adapting to all the treatments it was subjected to, it came back to strike her with full force, with a force and a tenacity that was not suspected of existence.

Sitting cross-legged in bed, the blankets pushed back on her bare legs, Rosal'in watched the fireplace. The slow consuming of logs by the flames emitted a crackle that lulled her imagination and invited it to ramble. With an unconscious gesture, she tirelessly turned between her fingers a statuette of Fen'Harel which had been resting for a few hours now in the palm of her still valid hand. The inquisition had certainly been dissolved, but it was forever anchored in the body of the former inquisitor. The Anchor that had been imposed on her by fate had robbed her of her left arm. But that was nothing compared to the loss of Solas. The memory of the Dread Wolf haunted her night and day. At the end of yet another defeat against her own conscience, the dalish elf let herself sink once again into the meanders of her memories.

* * *

_Sky Hold, two years ago_

Darkness reigned supreme in the fort. Night had fallen a few hours earlier and invited the occupants to join their beds. Silence arrived alongside the sovereign of the fortress. In spite of this atmosphere favourable to rest, the inquisitor Lavellan awakened abruptly from her restless sleep, her face deformed by the pain. She straightened up with difficulty and grasped her left arm with her right hand. A throbbing pain spread throughout her body. The Anchor was rough and emitted a bright green glow. It took her a few minutes to calm the pain that emanated from it. She slowly regained her senses during the process and wiped away the drops of sweat beading on her forehead. After a few moments of observing the surroundings, she decided to get up. Walking allowed her to clear her mind by focusing on all the sensations that her environment offered her. Dressed in a simple white blouse that betrayed her feminine curves and trousers of the same color, she walked through the door of her bedroom and went down the stairs leading to the throne room. The only souls she came across were the soldiers who were guarding. The whole castle seemed to be plunged into a deep sleep.

For about 20 minutes, the dalish elf wandered through the fort corridors in order to appease her spirit. Her steps eventually led her to the garden they had recently built. Barefoot, she sat in the middle of the grass. She gazed at the constellations during what seemed to be an eternity, bewitched by the sky. Her elven eyes allowed her to grasp every nuance that nature had to exhibit. However, the breach was also part of those nuances that the elves perceived better than anyone else. From that moment, the respite she had enjoyed watching the stars came to an end. At the sight of the breach, Rosal'in was suddenly beset by anxiety and fear. The fate of the world lays in her hands, which she struggled to control. Tormented by her fears, she flinched when she felt something come down on one of her shoulders and then sighed with relief when she realized it was the hand of her elf teammate.

"Solas! You scared the life out of me..."

"Excuse me, that was not my intention". Replied the elf, taking a seat beside her.

"I heard you coming down the stairs from your room about an hour ago. It is not in your habits to go on an adventure in the middle of the night. I came to see how you were doing."

Without a word, her face hidden by the shadows, she presented her left hand which was still agitated by a few spasms. He delicately grabbed her wrist and recited an incantation she had heard many times since their first meeting. The Anchor calmed down, the tremors disappeared and carried away in their wake the pain that inhabited it.

"Ma serannas (thank you), Solas". She sighed in a whisper that only he could hear.

The mage nodded in return. "You should go back to bed, you need rest. The Anchor exhausts not only your body but also your mind. You will need all your abilities to face Corypheus. "

While the inquisitor had so far carefully avoided eye contact with the one whose mere presence was accelerating her heart rate faster than any demonic attack, she offered Solas a show that shattered his impassive mask. Her eyes filled with tears, a thin smile painted on her porcelain face, Rosal'in looked at him like a child in the grip of her worst nightmares.

"I know it all too well."

In spite of the oath he had promised to keep, that of no longer diverting her from her divine mission, he gently grasped her face in his hands and with his thumbs wiped the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"Ma vhenan ..." Solas's voice rang out in the night, deep and calm, full of love and compassion. With a protective gesture, he pulled her to him and hugged her. "You're cold, you have to come back and warm up."

Her face buried against his neck, Rosal'in tightened their embrace. "Do not leave, please ..."

"Do not worry, I will not go anywhere." He whispered in the hollow of her ear before moving away enough from her to be able to rest his forehead against hers. "I will not leave you alone with your tears."

Carefully Solas straightened up, dragging his companion in his tracks, and then, with a slight step, they left the garden in order to reach the inquisitor's quarters. Along the way, they took care to keep a low profile, not wishing to arouse the suspicions of a few misguided soldiers. Once they reached their destination, they entered the room and locked the door behind them.

The room remained in the state in which Rosal'in had left it an hour earlier, lulled by oscillating emerald glows. The moon, absent, had bequeathed its role to the breach that illuminated the sky of Thedas in a terrifying spectacle. Bewitched by this macabre performance, the dalish elf did not take her eyes off of her tormentor. The green glow he produced was reflected on his cheeks, giving her face a sickly look. Witness of this evil spell, Solas quickly put an end to it by pulling out the long red velvet curtains that lined the windows.

In order to make up for it the darkness which had then taken hold of the place, the apostate, with a movement of the hand, lit a fire in the hearth of the chimney. As he invited Rosal'in to approach it so that she could warm herself up, he seized a beast's skin which he placed on the half-naked shoulders of the young elf. The skin in question was that of a wolf. Faced with the irony of the scene, the Dread Wolf could not help but smile. He watched her take her place in the couch facing the fireplace before joining her again. The inquisitor watched the flames with a thoughtful stare, her knees brought back to her chest.  
"Solas, tell me about your travels in the immaterial". she asked him, while tilting her face in his direction.  
A subtle chuckle escaped from the traveler's lips. "My travels? Not all of them have much interest in being listened to. Let me rather tell you a story I recently discovered."

Immediately, he joined his gestures to his word and from his hands sprang up the protagonists of his story, which, animated by the skills of the mage, moved as his words passed. The narrator's voice, like an intoxicating song, filled the inquisitor's room. She did not understand a treacherous word of the tale, which seemed inherited from the first age of the elven empire. The animations produced by the hands of Solas remedied Rosal'in's ignorance of the language of the elders. It echoed in the ears of the young elf as the mermaid's song echoed in the sailors' ears. Subjugated both by the wonderful representation offered to her by the apostate and by the gentle poetry that flowed from his lips, the herald of Andraste looked at her interlocutor with wonder, displaying a childish look. Her baby expression became more pronounced when, without warning, a butterfly came to rest lightly on the tip of her nose. A blissful smile then appeared on her lips as she crossed her lover's gaze. Softened by this sudden innocence from the dalish girl, Solas looked at her for a short time before noticing that a blonde curl had escaped from her braid.

While gently placing the fugitive behind her ear, he took the opportunity to flatter her pink cheekbone with his thumb that had blushed because of the promiscuity that she had not been able to anticipate. With her pink cheeks, Rosal'in tilted her head slightly to break the eye contact she had had with her teammate for a few minutes now. She felt the fingers of Solas slipping along her jaw, carefully drawing her contours in a subtle caress that made her shudder with apprehension. It was then that he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him again.

"It's rare to see you so reserved, inquisitor." A touch of amusement in his voice betrayed his usual tranquility.  
"I'm sorry if you don't like it... I'm afraid I'm not as bold as you might think," she replied, despite the embarrassment that had gripped her body, her lips stretching into a mischievous smile.  
"Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike it." He leaned towards her ear in a slow and calculated gesture. "On the contrary, Rosal'in."

At the sound of her name, a second shiver ran through the young elf's spine, causing her to lose her means once again. Her cheeks became bright red. "You like to tease me..."

Reducing the distance between each other, Solas murmured in his ear. "If you don't like it, I can stop."  
As he pretended to walk away, Rosal'in grabbed his arm and plunged her gaze into hers. "... I forbid that."  
The mage raised an eyebrow, amused by the sudden impetuousness of the one he considered his disciple. "Is it an order, _Da'len (child)_?"  
Stunned, she freed her master's arm from her grip. "... _Da'len _? I'm not a child."  
"And yet, if you had seen your expression a few minutes ago..." He stifled a little laugh under the vexed gaze of the dalish elf.  
"In that case, if I behave like a child, you behave like an old man." Defying his gaze, she crossed her arms under her chest. « _Hahren (_here, _old man). _»  
A broad smile appeared on the elf's face, definitely amused by the provocative behavior of his partner. "Which, if I am not mistaken, does not seem to bother you, inquisitor..." As he rose to the challenge he had been given, he gently grabbed one of her calves and began to caress it, appreciating the softness of her skin. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be in your apartments playing the game of cat and mouse."

While reveling the sensation of his fingers on her leg, Rosal'in let herself silently moved as he pleased. The young dalish girl, struggles to sustain his gaze, seemed surrendering to the skillful caresses given to her by her elder. As for him, he continued the exploration which he had impetuously undertaken moments earlier. After slipping his hand inside her pants, he soon reached the delicate and sensitive skin of the back of her knee, causing her to wobble under his touch. A slight laugh emanated from her throat when he barely moved his fingers.

"No, stop!" With a clumsy gesture, she tried in vain to grab his hand as he repeated his movement.  
"Solas ! Please !" While containing her laughter, she tried to escape his grip, agitated by jolts.  
Faced with the failures that her teammate had just suffered, Solas eventually resigned himself and then took his hand off her pants, with a smile on his face.

"You seem very satisfied, Solas..." Half-disheveled, her back leaning against the couch, she slowly resumed her breath.  
"Because you answered my question, v_henan"._ His tone, which until recently was teasing and provocative, now bore witness to an infinite tenderness.

It's with the same affection that he took her hand and carried it to his mouth, laying on the back of it a chaste kiss. Cornered by the feelings that her mentor aroused in her, it took a while for the inquisitor to put her thoughts in order and be able to formulate a coherent response. The words jolted and tangled, she was still victim of the euphoria caused by the sweet words of her sweet talker.

"Did you really need that answer?" Taking advantage of the closeness that almost united her hand to the face of the apostate, she gently placed her palm against his cheek, lovingly caressing every patch of skin she was allowed to reach. "_Ma vhenan_..."

Together, they closed the few centimeters that separated them from each other, sealing their lips in a lascivious kiss, witnessing the deep frustration they suffered on a daily basis. In his passion, Solas had led the dalish girl to his lap, inviting her to sit on his legs. As the young elf took advantage of this position to slide her hands along her lover's shoulders, she felt his venture along her back, the first firmly grasping her waist in a possessive gesture, the second gripping with vigor one of her buttcheeks. Her surprise drowned in a discreet moan while they kissed, tightening the embrace of the mage around her thin waist. When he gave up her lips to conquer her neck, Rosal'in abandoned all reason, the rain of kisses made her lose all discernment. Her senses, as if atrophied, responded only to the call of this animalistic desire that animated her. The wolf skin that protected her from the bitter cold of the fort was promptly chased away by the one who had initially placed it on her icy shoulders, again subjecting their sight to his gaze. Continuing the invasion against his companion, the Dread Wolf finally succeeded in reaching her chest. As he prepared to get rid of the last obstacle that separated him from the object of his lust, he stopped abruptly and placed his forehead against one of the Inquisitor's shoulders, taking a deep breath in order to regain self-control.

"We must not, vh_enan_... We can't do that". The pain in his voice was palpable. He was fighting against himself, against his love.  
"Solas, look at me..." She made him look at her, flattering his face with her fine fingers. "For this night, let's forget our obligations... Let's forget who we are... Please, v_henan_..." In a muffled sob, she pressed her forehead against his, desperately struggling against the emotion that overwhelmed her.  
Afflicted by the same torment, the apostate elf clasped his hands with those of the dalish girl and intertwined their fingers. "Not here". For that night, he had chosen to succumb to the torments of love. "Follow me".

No sooner had she had time to grasp the meaning of these words that the bearer of the mark began to sink into a deep sleep, lulled by what she thought was an ancestral elven incantation. The last thing she managed to distinguish, before being caught by the pre-eminent call of her dreams, was the feeling of a blanket resting on her shoulders.

* * *

_The Fade_

What a surprise she had, when Rosal'in regained consciousness, to find that she still remained in her apartments, the decor in every way identical to the one she had just left. Step by step, she approached the majestic four-poster Orlesian bed who stood in front of her, eloquent testimony to the last diplomatic agreement between the Inquisition and the Orlais empire. Despite her being unaccustomed to Orlesian extravagances, the dalish elf had quickly taken a liking to the sensation of satin against her skin. As she touched the silky vermilion hangings from the back of her hand, two arms slanted around her waist and hugged her in an embrace conducive to voluptuousness. Once again, she felt Solas's hands traveled her body in search of the slightest unexplored curve, they lingered insistently on her hips and thighs.

"You seem to be taking a liking to the lavish lifestyle of the Orlais court, inquisitor". Whispered the apostate in the hollow of her ear while gently embracing the thin, diaphanous skin of her neck.  
"Among the infinite multitude of choices made available by the Fade, you have chosen my room... So I take it that I'm not the only one who appreciates the Orlesian furniture..." Rosal'in's response, interspersed with slight sighs, gently made the mage smile.  
"You might as well make good use of it."

His kisses redoubled their ardor, leaving in their path some slight bruises which, thanks to the Fade, would disappear as soon as they left. As he went through the path of her cleavage, he slowly dragged from the shoulders of the dalish elf her thin white blouse, gradually revealing a small and bouncing chest. Although only being able to see her back, Solas felt the embarrassment that had taken over his lady. Betrayed on the one hand by her heart rate and on the other hand by her hands, which had tried to hide the view of her chest from the sight of the inquisitive gaze of the mage, the herald of Andraste felt more vulnerable than ever. At least, that's what she thought until the apostate made her turn around. His gaze was filled with a desire so ardent that no magic could have overcome the blaze that ignited in his soul. With a skillful gesture, he began to untie the braid that adorned the young elf's hair, freeing them from their straitjacket, long golden curls immediately framed her milky face, which he seized in the continuity of his movement.

"_Ma ane ir'ina'lan'ehn, vhenan__ (You're gorgeous)._"

While his oration ran aground in an inaudible murmur on the lips to which they were dedicated, the aoidos, while placing a knee on the bed, made his muse lie down. They kissed and hugged each other suavely, reveling this moment they had dreamed of since their first conversations. Solas, overhanging his lover of all his stature, led the dance with disconcerting ease, making her gasp with lust under his kisses. Impatient to find out what the mysterious apostate hid so preciously under his many layers of clothing, Rosal'in hastily removed the various belts which were standing in her way. In her haste she dropped them to the floor, causing a big snapping sound which made the mage laugh. He put an end to the frenzied choreography of their tongues and looked at the inquisitor with an amused air, arching one of his eyebrows.

"Fortunately, no one can hear us... You would have given the guards some food for thought."  
"Seeing you follow me into my apartments in the middle of the night gave them material for several weeks..." She answered in a tone that betrayed her frustration, adding to the smile that was already on her mentor's face.  
"_Felas (softly), Da'len"._

It was the student's turn to smile. In response, she slightly stood up so she could slide her arms around his neck and began to gently bite one of his ears, fully aware of their sensitivity. A moan of surprise escaped from the mage's mouth, stupefied in front of this reiterated impetuousness.

"Now I understand well your penchant for pyromancy... You like to play with fire, inquisitor."

His astonishment had given way to a carnivorous expression that warned the inquisitor of the events to come. Freeing himself from her embrace, he promptly got rid of his tunics and threw them carelessly at the other end of the room, revealing a fine protruding musculature, which wasn't one bit displeasing for the lady. No sooner had he finished undressing that he immediately joined her arms, this time attacking the throat that she offered him with impunity. Lost in the meanderings of her most primary thoughts, Rosal'in sighed under the slightest touch given by her lover. The myriad of new sensations that overwhelmed her had their origin in the hollow of her kidneys and made her move scandalously against her fellow. Her hips undulated against his in an almost obscene dance that made them shudder at every contact between their crotch.

When he gave up her throat in favor of her breasts and almost eagerly began to take them in his mouth, she knew that his self-control had then again completely blown away. In no way did he spare the tender and sensitive flesh who lay under her yoke, licking, sucking and biting the nipples of the young elf.

While between two voluptuous sighs she moaned his first name, she felt his kisses move towards her lower belly. His lips were soon joined by his hands which, nimbly, unlaced her trousers before slowly removing it. From the top of her thighs to her ankles, he kissed the skin he revealed as he occasionally made eye contact with his lover, who smiled shyly under his relentless gaze. When he had finally freed her from her last fabric barrier, he took a moment to watch the delightful vision of which he was honored. Dressed in her simplest form, the dalish elf was laid among the silks. Her blond hair scattered around her face gave the illusion of a golden halo, symbol of the deities. A late deity that the universe had created to compensate for the loneliness of his cursed child bitterly thought Solas in a moment of distraction. Swiftly, he quickly drove out these melancholy reflections and shifted his attention to his partner who observed him with his emerald gaze, similar to the treetops that littered the rich forest of Arlathan. As he looked at her with concupiscence, he found in her eyes a slight apprehension which she tried to conceal.

"Rosal'in?" His gaze became softer as he grasped one of her hands, intertwining their fingers. "If you want me to stop, tell me."  
"No." Immediately, Rosal'in tightened her thin fingers around his. "Don't stop."

She then began to gently caress her partner's hand with her thumb before drawing him back into her arms, this time welcoming him between her thighs, which she instinctively knotted around her pelvis in a seductive position. Her hand slowly went up his arm, gently flattering and tracing the muscles she encountered from the pulp of her fingers. When her caresses reached her torso and back, she saw him close his eyes, an expression of fullness on his face. This reaction aroused more than it should have the dalish elf who immediately began to kiss his neck and ears while her hands extended their caresses to the smooth skin of his head. Her greedy lips lingered for a time on the protruding jaw of the apostate before coming to mischievously tease their fellows.

The little game that the inquisitor had just initiated soon turned against her when Solas, in a mischievous mood, decided to lend himself to it and suddenly bit her lower lip, snatching an exclamation of surprise that made him smile. Taking advantage of her surprise, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, once again subjecting his companion to a frantic dance that only he mastered. A few minutes was enough to put her back in a daze. Hearing her moan under his skillful tongue and feeling her pelvis seeking the company of his was the sweetest of the aphrodisiacs he had been allowed to taste. Responding both to her requests and to his own impulses that were beginning to take over, he grabbed her thighs and spread them further to close the space that still separated their crotch. The moistness he immediately felt against his erection stole from him a groan of excitement. Knowing that she wanted him just as much as him was exhilarating.

He cut short to their kiss in order to regain eye contact to which he had unintentionally put an end during their cuddles, making the young elf blush more than before. A more acute moan from her was heard as his lover began to move his hips sensually, mimicking the sexual act. The friction of his manhood against her crotch increased the humidity that already inhabited it, snatching some voluptuous laments from Rosal'in. He could read in her gaze, dilated by the pleasure and excitement, that she was ready to welcome him into her and that she was only asking and waiting for that. His reading was confirmed when he felt her hands start to unlace his pants. The words she later whispered, and of which he would never have suspected her of knowing, in turn confirmed her carnal desire for him.

"_Isalan hima sa i'na (I want to be one with you), Solas..." _

The corners of his lips stretched into a mischievous smile at the sound of this confession so debauched while one of his hands reached to her intimacy on which his mind had repeatedly rambled during his lonely nights. His first gestures were slow and methodical. He stroked her in various places, in various ways, studying her reactions carefully. The first thought that occurred to his mind when his fingers met her lips was that in his fantasies, he had never imagined her so wet. No sooner had he started to caress her that his fingers were drenched in desire. When he saw her jolt, he knew that he had just found her clitoris. He wondered how he could have ignored it since it was swollen with excitement. He gently touched it a few moments before starting to make small circular movements with the tip of his index and his middle finger, which soon made her moan his name.  
"_My vhenan,_ j_uveran na su tarasyl. (I'll take you to heaven)_" He whispered in her ear as he caught her ear in his teeth and slipped his index in her.

A small wave of pleasure suddenly overwhelmed her, causing her to camber as she tried in vain to muffle her loudest moans.

"No one can hear you except me, my love. Do not deprive me of that privilege."

Slowly, his middle finger penetrated her in turn. It was only when he felt her relax around them that he began a slow movement back and forth which, like the moans of the dalish girl, became more and more passionate. He soon found her sensitive point, the one that every time he touched it, made her tremble with pleasure. Against all odds, as she was about to reach the apotheosis of carnal pleasure, she made him stop by placing her hand on his, fighting against the frenetic desire she heard beating in her eardrums.

"I want you, not your fingers..." Panting, she gave him a little smile of which only her had the secret, a smile that was both seductive and reserved that made him melt. "Even though, they are very skillful."

Solas watched her during a brief moment before putting his hand to her lips and kissing her delicately, her metallic blue eyes always remaining deeply rooted in those of the inquisitor.

"Every word you say makes me a little crazier about you... You can't imagine the effect you're having on my senses, Rosal'in". With one hand he completed the work she had begun shortly before and sent his pants to join his tunics. "My fantasies have nothing to envy to Orlesian debauchery".  
"So show me..."

He bowed his head slightly as he used to do when she submitted a request to him that he liked to honor. Adroitly, he positioned himself in such a way as to find a penetrating angle comfortable enough for both of them and then, gradually, he insinuated himself into her, centimeter after centimeter. As he clenched his jaw because of her narrowness, he saw her hands clenching and grabbing the sheets. She was certainly not used to this kind of activity. Imagining that he was one of the first for whom she spread her thighs strengthened the stiffness of his penis. Nevertheless, his animal thought quickly dissipated in the face of the tense expression of his companion, giving way to a benevolence that only lovers could show.

"Relax, vhenan. »

To accompanying his words, he began to caress her with tenderness as he lovingly kissed her. The feeling of her muscles relaxing and the small movement of her hips that accompanied it invited him to move. His hips began a methodical choreography, swaying every time he sank back into her. When he felt her receptive to his deeper and languorous intrusions, the movements of his hips became rougher. Rosal'in's moans became louder and louder as the mage increased the pace of his strokes. Both of them seemed to have forgotten how to breathe as they were caught by each other. Clinging to Solas, the young elf moaned in his ear things that she never imagined to say to him in her most naughty dreams.

" _Pala Em elvar'el ! (Fuck me harder)"_

The apostate heart skipped a beat. He grabbed her hands and placed them against the bed above of hear head.

"_Jutuan ma ir rosas'da'din, ma tel'aman melin__... (I will make you cum so much that you won't remember your name)" _he growled in a moan of pleasure, a smirk painted on his face.

Freeing her hands, he turned her over with one arm and made her stand on her knees as he sat behind her to penetrate her again. The little cries that crossed the threshold of the herald of Andraste's lips as he intruded deeply into her indicated that her deliverance was near. But before making her come, he wanted to take advantage of this spectacle to engrave every moment in his memory, every detail. From the delicious vision of her arched butt to the intoxicating tone she used to moan his name. Once impregnated with her, he firmly grasped her hips and repeatedly pounded into her with a vigor that caused the bed to hit the wall. She had only one word on her lips when her orgasm overwhelmed her and caused her to sag against her sheets. The vision she had just offered to Solas immediately leads him to his own ecstasy. He came, with for creed the sweet name of the one in whom he poured out the most primitive evidence of his love. They remained this way for about ten minutes, one against the other, cuddling each other before one spoke and uttered words that would forever haunt the other.

"_Ar Lath ma (I love you), _Rosa."

* * *

_Sky Hold, present_

Tears beaded along the pale cheeks of said Rosa as she recalled the declaration he made to her after they have made love. The nickname he had given her here, in this bed and in these sheets, resonated in her ears like a lament. In a moment of rage, she brutally threw to the ground the statuette she had in her hand since the beginning of the night. Her desperate attempt to silence the voices that haunted her had just awakened one of the remaining residents of the castle. The former inquisitor bitterly regretted her lack of control when she heard a knock on the door. With a hesitant step, she got up and walked to the door before opening it. Cassandra stood before her, in her nightgown, her face probably still scarred by sleep. A great guilt took hold of the dalish elf when she realized that she had certainly got her out of her dreams.

"Excuse me Cassandra, I dropped a boo-"  
"Is your arm hurting again? You seem exhausted, Rosal'in."

The maternal tone that Cassandra used to address her increased the difficulty she had in containing the emotions that devoured her internally.

"No, my arm is doing well... Well, as well as an amputated arm can be. Thank you for caring."

Unfortunately, the polite smile she sported did not fool the dragon hunter. She saw her eyes surveyed the floor of her room and stopped on the statuette of Fen'Harel which now laid in a thousand pieces on the ground. When she felt her gaze turn on her face again, the elf did not have the courage to confront it. She was ashamed of her weakness in the face of the one who had openly betrayed them.

"Rosal'i-"  
"I'm aware of who he is and what he's done. My feelings will not interfere with our mission."

Before she could try anything, the Pentaghast put her hand on her arm to hold her back.

"I'm not here as a Seeker, Rosal'in. I am here as a friend. I know how to recognize a tormented soul when I see one. Talk to me."

While the dalish elf had thought that she could respond intelligibly to this outstretched hand, the only sounds she managed to make were immediately distorted by the sobs that painfully knotted her throat. She felt Cassandra's hand grab hers and hug her warmly, inviting her to continue. Gathering what little strength was left in her, Rosal'in faced her friend before collapsing in her arms, crying.

"The elders were right, he took me away, Cassandra. He took me away..."


End file.
